So yesterday I left work and sat in traffic (Thanks Pittsburgh Penguins). I sat, and sat, and sat. I really hate traffic too, so to sit in traffic due to a Penguins game just sets me off even more. As I sat waiting, my thoughts turned to dinner and what we would be eating. I started to stress because I know that this traffic is going to delay me even longer from getting home, and thus delay dinner preparation and eating even more as well. I am trying to complete my daily eating by 6:30 (7:00 at the latest) because I know it is not healthy to go to bed after just eating a big meal (digestion stinks and all that food just laying in your stomach - YUCK). As I sat, I pondered that I could just eat a salad but that wasn't quite feasible because I had over 1400 calories left to eat for the day. There is no amount of cheese or salad dressing that could take care of those calories. I thought about eating veggies and possibly some fruit (quick and easy) but again, there are only so many calories to be had from eating fruits and veggies and not gagging yourself in the meantime. So there I am pondering what in the heck I will do...
In my world, fast food was definitely out. All the grease and unnecessary calories were just a waste. But there wasn't much time for dinner planning and prep so I knew fast food was the only option. The one nice feature of the app that I am using (Lose It - and no I am not making any money off of mentioning them in my blog. I just want people to know what I am using and how it is helping me) is that it has a variety of restaurants listed and the calorie count of the food they serve. So while sitting in traffic I started to flip through the list of available options (I know, I know... I shouldn't have been using my phone while driving). I searched through many options but settled on Wendy's as tonight's choice. Using my app, I found that I could have a Jr. Cheeseburger (290 calories) and an Apple, Pecan Chicken Salad with Pomegranate dressing (full sized - 510 calories in total with dressing). In total, I ate 800 calories and was very satisfied (otherwise known as full). I also was able to enjoy a "greasy" hamburger.
Now I know that people are thinking "is that really what you wanted to eat"? The answer is NO, but there are sacrifices to be made, and the french fries and bigger burger that I would normally eat needed to go... and not into my thighs and butt! Would I rather of had a #1 with everything and a medium fry... Damn straight I would have. But those decisions have lead me to where I am now and it's certainly not where I want to be. Also, eating all of those empty calories would have left me hungry later on in the evening and also without much nutritional value. Difficult choices, but I have to do it.
So I have learned in my short little time on this journey that eating out isn't always bad. Yes I am sure there will be times when I go out to eat and the choices that I make aren't the best (potentially date night with my hubby) but for now I recognize that I can make good (and healthy) choices without sacrificing my entire diet. Just remember that the difficult choices that I make today, lead me in the right direction towards my future.
You go! I am using an app too, called myfitnesspal I love the fact that it has so many restaurants in the food database. I went out on Friday to Mad Mex (horrible nutritional values on their menu, most things are over 1000 calories) and was able to make a good choice. Saturday I went to Dave and Busters, and once again, I made I good choice. Eating out is feasible, if you go about it in a smart way, and it sounds like you totally are.
ReplyDeleteI hate days when it is 4 pm and I still have 1000 calories to eat. It makes me feel guilty to eat them up. But this is what you have to do, so your body does not starve. Keep up the great work.
PS if you are an ice cream person, like me, a small cone from DQ is not that high in calories, and will help satisfy a sweet tooth in a way that an apple never will ;) do NOT deprive yourself of every pleasure!